This initiative will provide funding for high-quality collaborative research projects between the UK, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam researchers which contribute to the economic development and welfare of Indonesia, Thailand and/or Vietnam.

The objective is to deliver significant 2-3year research funding for internationally competitive and innovative collaborative projects between researchers from participating countries, that will allow the pursuit of shared research interests.

DIPI and RCUK will provide funding for at least 5 projects in:

Atmospheric Pollution and Human Health

Atmospheric pollution and human health is of vital importance in SE Asia. Not only are the urban air pollution and industrial emissions an issue but the so called annual ‘haze’ events resulting from forest and peat fires in SE Asia contribute significantly to the atmospheric pollution and impact on human health in this area. Additional to the effects on human health, atmospheric pollution is impacting on the economy, including air travel. Consequently there is a need to:

Understand the sources, atmospheric transformations and meteorological transport of air pollutants from urban, industrial and the forest/peat fires both on a regional and national/international scale.

Provide predictive capability for the impacts, mitigation measures and spread of the pollution.

Create sustainable environmental monitoring and compliance tools.

Enhance understanding of the impact of environmental exposures on human health, in particular capitalising on novel (including personal) measurement technologies and advanced research approaches in environmental epidemiology and internal signatures of exposure.

Explore causal relationships between exposure and health / disease of individuals in the population setting.

Tropical Peatlands and Mangroves

Tropical peatlands and Mangroves are often home to unique and an important biodiversity and provide important ecosystems services including carbon storage, flood control, timber and non-timber forest products. Peatlands and Mangroves are being converted and degraded as a result of land use/ management changes and climate change. Apart from deliberate burning, degraded peatland and mangroves are at risk of spontaneous fires which causes further damage and is a risk to human health.

Understanding the ecosystem resilience to human-induced threats and perturbations like land use and climate change, and extreme weather events (deforestation, drainage/drying, fires);

Understanding the tipping points of the ecosystems to such threats as a means to gauge the impact of degradation (e.g. from drainage and/or fire) on functions and services;

Understanding how ecosystem processes/functions and services can be restored and managed to deliver multiple benefits and services.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applicants can apply for a 2-3 year grant, for up to £200k per project on the Indonesian side, while the UK partner can apply for approximately RCUK has £350k – £450k available per project. The size of the grant will vary depending of the needs of each research project and must be fully justified.

UK and Southeast Asian applicants must apply jointly for funding to the RCUK Newton-SEA Research Partnerships Call 2016, via the NERC Je-S online application system (https://je-s.rcuk.ac.uk). Due to administrative reason, all proposals must be submitted by the UK Co-Principal Investigator.

KEY DATES

DATE

Announce call for proposals(Je-S system opens)

09 June 2016

Intention to submit

13 July 2016

Closing date for proposals

10 August 2016

PI response to reviewer comments for those going to Panel(Please note you will have 5 days to respond)

November 2016

RCUK, DIPI, TRF and NAFOSTED Joint Panel

December 2016

Decisions announced

January 2017

Successful proposals withdrawn from NERCJe-S system by research offices and submitted to lead council by remit (not necessary for NERC-remit grants)

Official Development Assistance (ODA) guidance – The Newton Fund requires that the UK funding is awarded in a manner that fits with ODA guidelines. All applications under this call must therefore be compliant with these guidelines and demonstrate this compliance within the written proposal.

ELIGIBILITY

All proposals will be required to have a UK Principal Investigator, in addition to a Principal Investigator from one or more of the partner countries.

The Principal Investigator (PI) should demonstrate the ground-breaking nature, ambition, and feasibility of his or her scientific proposal. Priority is given to applications submitted by a PI with the ability to lead and be actively engaged in the proposed research investigation as evidenced by past publication(s) in national or international peer reviewed scientific publications. Highly exceptional applicants that do not yet have evidence of scientific publications but submit proposal ideas that meet DIPI scientific merit criteria maybe considered.

PI’s must have affiliation with educational and/ or research based organization(s). Such affiliation may be with single or multiple organizations, government or private, for-profit or non-profit. PI can only submit one application for this call, multiple applications will not be accepted.

FUNDING SUPPORT

DIPI

RCUK

Covered

Staff – directly incurred post

Staff – directly allocated posts (PI and Co-I time)

Other research costs (including consumables, for policy on costs of equipment please email dipi-rcuk@dipi.id)

Travel and subsistence for exchange/mobility activities

Cost of workshops, meetings etc.

Estates and indirect costs

Research assistants (NOT for degree studentships/ PhD)

Staff – directly incurred post

Staff – directly allocated posts (PI and Co-I time)

Other research costs (including consumables)

Travel and subsistence for exchange/mobility activities

Cost of workshops, meetings etc.

Estates and indirect costs

Exceptions

All NERC data management costs must be fully costed and included

Not covered

RCUK, due to Newton funding, cannot cover the cost of equipment/ capital over £10k under this call

Studentships (PhD) will also not be covered under this call

Given the budget limit of proposals, coupled with the time restrictions on spend under Calls supported by the Newton Fund, we are unable to accept NERC shiptime or aircraft requests as part of this Call . All other NERC S&F must be fully costed within the limits of the proposal, and agreement that they can be undertaken within the timeframe of the spend must be provided by the facility.

ASSESMENT CRITERIA AND DECISION MAKING PROCESS

Following submission, peer review will be undertaken by the funding agencies. To be funded, proposals must be internationally competitive and at a standard equivalent to that normally expected to be supported by each funding organisation.

Proposals will be assessed against the following criteria:

Research merit and scientific excellence of the proposal

Relevance of the proposal to the strategic objectives of the Newton Fund – including potential benefits and impact

Strength and appropriateness of proposed partnership and collaboration

Project management structure and resources, including value for money

GRANT START DATES

Due to the tight timescales and funding restrictions of the Newton Fund, UK grants must start by 01 February 2017; i.e. the ‘start confirmation’ must be submitted by 01 February 2017(this is shorter than the standard 42 days for Research Council grants).

The Newton Fund is an initiative intended to strengthen research and innovation partnerships between the UK and emerging knowledge economies. It was launched by the Chancellor in April 2014, and will deliver £735 million of funding over the course of seven years.

The Fund forms part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment which is monitored by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). ODA funded activity focuses on outcomes that promote the long-term sustainable growth of countries on the OECD Development Assistance Committee list. Newton Fund countries represent a sub-set of this list. For more information, please visit the RCUK Newton Fund page; http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/international/newton/.

The Newton Fund requires that the funding be awarded in a manner that fits with Official Development Assistance (ODA) guidelines. All applications under this call must therefore be compliant with these guidelines. http://www.newtonfund.ac.uk/about/what-is-oda/

Contacts

If you have any questions or would like further information about the call, please contact:

What is the deadline for submitting proposal?

ELIGIBILITY

Do I have to collaborate with UK partner to be eligible to apply for funding?

Yes, all proposals will be required to have a UK Principal Investigator, in addition to a Principal Investigator from one or more of the partner countries.

Do I have to collaborate with other researchers from Southeast Asia to apply for funding?

No, multilateral collaborative research from UK, Indonesia, Vietnam, and/or Thailand is welcome, but not a requirement. Proposals are required to have a UK Principal Investigator alongside Indonesian Principal Investigator.

FUNDING

How much fund will be allocated for each proposal?

Applicants can apply for a 2-3 year grant, for up to £200k per project on the Indonesian side, while the UK partner can apply for approximately RCUK has £350k – £450k available per project. The size of the grant will vary depending of the needs of each research project and must be fully justified.

What will DIPI cover?

Staff – directly incurred post

Staff – directly allocated posts (PI and Co-I time)

Other research costs (including consumables, for policy on costs of equipment please email dipi-rcuk@dipi.id)

Travel and subsistence for exchange/mobility activities

Cost of workshops, meetings etc.

Estates and indirect costs

Research assistants (NOT for degree studentships/ PhD)

Can I use funds from other Southeast Asian countries if I conduct trilateral or multilateral collaborative research?

No. Funds cannot be used to cover the costs of participation of other countries. However the involvement of other countries will be considered if a strong strategic need is articulated in the proposal and it is made clear the ‘other’ partners have funding to support their involvement in the partnership. Please ensure you contact RCUKNewtonFundEnquiries@rcuk.ac.ukif you plan to include another partner.

How are grants paid?

UK Research Councils will pay the UK component of the award directly to the lead UK Organisation, which where necessary will be responsible for disbursing the funds to other UK Co-Investigators. DIPI/ TRF/ NAFOSTED will pay the approved projects according to their regular procedure.

Can I apply for publication costs?

Publication costs are no longer awarded and should not form part of your application. This is in line with RCUK terms and conditions. These costs are available from your Research Organisation via the block grant they receive for Publication costs.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Does the intention to submit affects my eligibility to apply for funding?

No, the form is intended to identify peer reviewers and convene assessment panels in advance, hence it is important that researchers indicate their intention to submit a proposal.

Will I receive eligibility information on my intention to submit?

No, your submission will only be acknowledged by RCUK.

This form is not intended to assess or comment on the eligibility of a proposal, applicant or research office and should not affect or delay the creation and completion of your proposal on the Je-S system.

Can I begin creating my project in Je-S before sending in my intention to submit?

It is advised that you begin creating your project in the Je-S system as soon as possible. This will ensure that you have enough time for the proposal to go through your research office before final submission. It is envisioned that the intention to submit and Je-S application form would be completed in conjunction with each other.

I have missed the intention to submit deadline, can I still apply?

Yes, you can still apply to the call, please get in touch with RCUKNewtonFundEnquiries@rcuk.ac.ukto confirm you will submit. Please note that any proposals involving human or animal participation need to do this as soon as possible.

I have sent in my intention to submit, can I make changes to my project?

Yes, changes can be made to your project after returning your intention to submit. Please note: you do not need to notify RCUK to change your project unless it involves the inclusion of human or animal participants.

This is an RCUK led call, why do I submit to the NERC?

Applications to this RCUK led call will be hosted by the NERC so all submissions must go to the NERC, regardless of remit. Applicants must identify within their Case for Support the actual Council they would apply to in terms of remit.

Please note that applications involving animal participation will need to submit to MRC to ensure that appropriate ethical checks are undertaken.

Do I need to submit a separate application to DIPI?

No. The application process is hosted by the NERC on behalf of participating agencies (RCUK,DIPI, TRF and NAFOSTED). After the application deadline RCUK will share the applications submitted with the partners.

Can I submit offline instead of using Je-S?

No. All applications must be submitted via the Je-S system. Proposals submitted by email will not be accepted for processing.

If my application does not reach RCUK by the deadline can it still be considered?

No. Applications not submitted by 16:00 BST (22:00 WIB) Wednesday 10th August 2016 will not be considered for funding.

Is my application a research or partnership grant?

Although your grant does promote partnership between UK and Southeast Asia it is primarily a research grant and MUST be listed as such throughout your project.

Do both Southeast Asian and UK investigators need to be registered on the Je-S system?

Yes. For any submission through the UK Research Council online submission system, ALL named investigators (Principal Investigator and all Co- Investigators) must be registered users. For this initiative, that includes all named UK and Southeast Asian investigators. Easy instructions to register are available here. For help with using Je-S please contact the Je-S helpdesk:

How do I put the UK Principal Investigator and Co-Investigators on the Je-S form?

Please input the UK PI under the Principal Investigator and the Co-Investigators under Co-Investigator as normal, unlike with the Southeast Asian Co-I’s you will also need to record all the costs, including the number of hours.

How do I add the Southeast Asian Principal Investigator and Co-Investigators to the Je-S form?

The Je-S form only allows there to be one Principal Investigator on a grant. Although in reality grants under this call their will be two PI’s: one from the UK and one from Southeast Asian. For the purposes of completing the Je-S form, please enter the UK PI on to the system as the PI. Please add the Southeast Asian PI on to the Je-S form as a Co-Investigator, as well as any other UK or Southeast Asian Co-Investigators.

Do I include my Southeast Asian costs on the Je-S form?

No. These costs must be included within the appropriate costs proformaon the template and must be fully justified within your Justification of Resources

HUMAN PARTICIPATION & ANIMAL RESEARCH

Is it possible to conduct research involving humans or animal?

All research involving human participants and animal must be undertaken in accordance with relevant policies and guidance and recorded on the Je-S form. Please note that if you are planning on involving human or animal participants in your research you should get in contact with RCUKNewtonFundEnquiries@rcuk.ac.uk before starting your project in Je-S.

Please refer to Application Guidance (page 20-21)

If I am using animals what information do I need to include on the Je-S form?

Please ensure that if you are using animals you select the appropriate species and keep in mind the following. The animal species section must be complete irrespective of whether funding for the animals is requested as part of the proposal.

My research involving humans will take place in Southeast Asia, should I still put it into the Je-S form?

Yes, whether the research involving humans is taking place in the UK or Southeast Asia it needs to be captured in the Je-S form.

My animal research will take place in Southeast Asia, should I still put it into the Je-S form?

Yes, whether the animal research is taking place in the UK or Southeast Asia it needs to be captured in the Je-S form. You must also include this information in the case for support